Scott Hale, a consultant hired to coordinate the wind-down operations at the Manitou Park Boulevard skilled nursing home, said the 58-year-old facility struggled to attract residents and recruit staff in recent years.

"They realized they needed to look closely at a closure," Hale said. "It had been financially unviable for a number of years."

Messenger House is owned by Soundcare, a regional company that also runs a nursing home in Nisqually and recently sold a facility in University Place. Hale said Soundcare put Messenger House up for sale last year but could not find a buyer.

Residents of the 96-bed facility were told Thursday that the nursing home would close. They'll receive an official notice sometime in the next few weeks. Messenger House will remain open until all the residents have been relocated, a process Hale expects could take 90 days.

Hale said Soundcare is working with the state Department of Health and Department of Social and Health Services to find beds for the residents, most of whom are covered by Medicaid. The group will try to place residents in nearby long-term care facilities if they wish to stay local.

Messenger House employs roughly 75 full- and part-time employees. Many were hired from temporary staffing agencies, one of the reasons the facility was struggling financially.

Hale said the Soundcare board understands the closure will be disruptive for everyone involved.

"It's difficult for staff and residents, there's no question about that," he said.

While losing money, Messenger House is providing good quality of care, according to federal records. The facility holds a five-star or "much above average" rating, on the Medicare's Nursing Home Compare website, which bases its grades on health, safety, staffing and quality measures.

Messenger House was founded in 1960s on a 6-acre campus near Rolling Bay. Some buildings on the property date back to 1917. The 1923 Moran school, which neighbored the nursing home, was torn down in October.